Art and Culture in the Temiskaming Shores Area

The City of Temiskaming Shores and the Town of Cobalt are two incredibly culturally-versed communities within the South Temiskaming region. These two communities are home to many creative people, including visual artists, musicians, dancers, actors, video producers, poets and cultural entrepreneurs. These two municipalities are vibrant and interesting places to live thanks to the cultural diversity found within them.

Art Galleries and Stores

There are many, many talented visual artists in the South Temiskaming region and there are a number of talented cultural entrepreneurs in the region – in fact, some of our artists are cultural entrepreneurs, too! Take Laura’s Art Shoppe, for example: Situated in the historic downtown core of Cobalt, Laura Landers, a local award-winning visual artist has set up shop. She provides custom framing services and she also displays art from local Northern Ontario visual artists. Similar to Laura’s Art Shoppe is Spirit of the Arts Gallery and Foto Shop, who share business space in the former town of New Liskeard. The co-owners of Spirit of the Arts Gallery are visual artists themselves, but the gallery displays and sells other Northern Ontario artists’ work, too. Foto Shop also offers custom framing.

Art Events

The cultural sector is growing in South Temiskaming. Recently, "Art in the Park" (spearheaded by the Temiskaming Art Gallery) was put on for the community to enjoy. In 2015, the first Art in the Park series was held once a week for eight weeks during the months of July and August. Local artists and artisans are brought together to display and sell their work, and incredibly talented local musicians are there to entertain passers-by.

Do expect more and more art events in Temiskaming Shores and Cobalt to be hosted by the community. We are proud of where we come from and we love to celebrate!

Classic Theatre Cobalt

Built in 1926, Classic Theatre Cobalt is a historic building housing both an amphitheater and an art gallery. It is situated in the heart of downtown Cobalt. Classic Theatre Cobalt seats 250 spectators and it is loved for its fantastic acoustics and intimate setting. Every year, the Classic presents a variety of shows during the season, including musical acts, theatre, stand-up comedy, and dance.

Community Art

From murals to sculptures, there are many pieces of fine art that can be found throughout the community. Every creative work you see – from the painted Ontario Provincial Police mural in Cobalt to the Shannen Koostachin memorial sculpture in New Liskeard – has deep social, historic and sometimes emotional significance.

Arts, Culture & Heritage Camps

Many organizations in our community recognize the importance of youth engagement in the cultural sector. The Temiskaming Screening Room offers a March Break Junior Animators’ Camp; the Bunker Military Museum organizes a "Night at the Museum" kids’ sleepover event; Smallpond Entertainers offer an incredibly popular musical theatre summer day camp, and the Temiskaming Art Gallery puts together a Junior Artists’ Colony in the summer. How do your children and teens connect with the world through art, culture, and history?

Culture Days in the District of South Timiskaming

Since 2009, "Culture Days" has been a Canada-wide initiative held at the end of September/beginning of October every year. Arts administrators, historians, indigenous Elders, members of the Francophone and Anglophone communities, musicians, visual artists, and many more individuals belonging to the cultural sector all over Canada come together to provide free activities in their own communities for the public to enjoy. Culture Days highlights the importance of cultural engagement.

In 2013, 2014 and 2015, Temiskaming Shores (often simply referred to as New Liskeard) held a spot in the national Culture Days Top Ten. An impressive number of activities are put on in the District of Timiskaming every year during Culture Days and its popularity keeps growing. Culture Days is completely volunteer-organized – the community is thankful for regional coordinator Pam MacKenzie.